


Not That Bold

by whatyouwant



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, M/M, Motorbike, Stucky - Freeform, badass Bucky, bucky and Nat are bffs, making it up as I go, one armed bucky, star spangled steve, steve loves everyone, traumatic past
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-08
Updated: 2016-08-08
Packaged: 2018-08-07 13:21:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,729
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7716316
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whatyouwant/pseuds/whatyouwant
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bucky is the rough, scary motorbike-riding, rule-breaking kid at college. Steve couldn't give a fuck. Or so he tries to tell himself.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Not That Bold

**Author's Note:**

> Apologising for all the mistakes in this story. Literally know nothing about the world. For the sake of this story, just pretend everything I say is true and factual, with plenty of research and evidence to back it up. Danke.

**BUCKY**

Bucky slowed his bike as he neared the campus. Gliding along, he dodged picture-perfect, text-book-hugging and coffee-drinking students, and aimed towards his building. He braked a second later than needed to ensure his safety and cut the engine. As he parked and secured his bike, he determinedly ignored the glares and curious looks he was getting. Strictly speaking, bikes weren't allowed on campus (motor or the old fashioned pedalling kind that were far too much effort for Bucky's liking). But Bucky wagered that the risk of getting caught and punished was worth the avoidance of a twenty minute trek each day from his flat. He wasn't sure his legs would last longer than a week if he were made to walk. Bucky sauntered towards his building, enjoying a few appreciative glances he received for his daring and basking in the sunlight. It was a warm summer day, the first sign of the weather breaking away from Spring and edging hesitantly towards the hotter months. It was probably too hot for his leather jacket, but Bucky didn't dare take it off for fear that those few admiring glances would turn into disgust if they were to see his arm. He was only sweating slightly, but nevertheless he bee lined for the air conditioned entrance way in front of him. He glanced at his battered watch - he was only five minutes late. He reached the heavenly shaded doorway and hurried towards his lecture theatre. Outside the door he could hear Eric Selvig already lecturing away on atoms and particles and everything that Bucky would understand if he had finished last night's reading before heading out to get laid. He sighed and resigned himself to an hour of boredom and misery before sneaking into the back and taking a seat next to his red haired friend, Natasha.  
"Hey, you're early," she whispered without turning to him.  
"No I'm not, I'm seven minutes late."  
"Yeah, for you that is early," she said, finally turning to him and smirking. Bucky resisted the youthful temptation to stick his tongue out at her. If they were relaxing on his bed watching movies, all alone, then he would have had no such reservations. However, in the dark and humid lecture theatre, he had a reputation to maintain. To everyone who knew of him, Bucky Barnes was a leather-jacket-wearing, motorbike-riding, rebel who turned up for class seven minutes late and forwent his homework in order to shack up with some stranger with an interchangeable name. Sometimes it was Jack, sometimes John. Bucky didn't care. As long as his dick was taken care of, he didn't bother with names.

After only thirty minutes, Bucky woke from his slumber. That was almost a record, he normally slept through Selvig's classes for at least forty minutes. Strangely, Bucky felt cheated. Although he never meant to fall asleep in his lectures, he still didn't enjoy the waking moments. And today he had to put up with an extra ten minutes of those waking moments. The blame, as always, lay with his loudly grumbling stomach. Quite the tantrum it was having.  
"'M hungry," he muttered.  
"No shit," Natasha said, smirking again, but not looking at him.  
"D'you have any food?"  
"No. Go back to sleep Bucky."  
Bucky groaned and rubbed his face. Salvic's voice droned on in the background, a gentle lulling rhythm, sending him back to sleep... His stomach rumbled again. Goddammit, he wasn't going to be able to sleep through this. Bucky sighed and rubbed his eyes again. Since he was forced to stay awake, he may as well pay attention to the lecture. Unsurprisingly, he actually understood most of it, despite sleeping through the first half (and fucking instead of reading last night). Bucky was one of those annoyingly fortunate 'naturally bright' students that infuriated everyone so much. While he tried to do all the background work and listen in class, he found that it didn't actually improve his performance beyond the straight As he received anyway. No one hated him for this more than Nat. She was proud; had to be the best at everything, and usually she was, without much effort. Academically, however, she had never beaten Bucky, and always had to work twice as hard (although that wasn't saying much, considering).

When they finally escaped, Bucky immediately stormed towards to closest cafe he could find, with Natasha following exasperatedly in his wake. Bucky ordered a large burger with an extra portion of fries and a milkshake. Natasha got water and a small salad. Bucky rolled his large blue eyes at her over his greasy 'Meat King'.  
"C'mon, that doesn't even count as food," he said scathingly, looking at her rabbits food in disgust. Natasha popped a tomato into her mouth in defiance.  
"I don't understand how you can eat that," she said pointedly.  
"Because I'm 'ungry," he said between chewing. Natasha looked vaguely disgusted.  
"I'm surprised you're not a walking heart disease by now, with the amount you eat," she muttered, to which she received a food-filled grin. Natasha threw a tomato at his nose.

As long as they had known each other, Bucky had always eaten the most calorific foods, and a lot of it. And, as she could only admit grudgingly, he still remained perfectly toned and muscled. Which, she repeated many times, was physically impossible considering Bucky had never even looking inside a gym. She knew that back when they had met he was in peak physical condition, they both had been, they had to be. But now, years after they were free, and years after Bucky had exerted any sort of energy into anything other than sex, he still remained ripped, which Natasha had to constantly work at her figure. It was one of the many things she hated about him.

"Any classes later?" Bucky asked, slurping on his milkshake.  
"Nope, I'm free. I was going to meet up with Clint and Tony and that lot," she said, watching Bucky carefully. His gaze had dropped.  
"Mmm."  
"You want to join?"  
"Oh... Uh... Nah, I should probably hit the library. Catch up on the lecture I just slept through..."  
Natasha glowered. Partly because she knew that despite his nap, he was still well ahead of her and had therefore no need to hit the library. And partly because she knew this was a lie. Bucky didn't want to join because he didn't want to feel like he was forcing himself on her friends. Since starting college, Bucky had found Natasha and clung to her as they always had clung to one another. Natasha, meanwhile, had made other friends - a whole group of them, in fact. Despite Natasha's constant badgering, Bucky refused to hang around with them and had only met a few on them on brief occasions when with Natasha. He had never needed many friends, and he didn't want to take hers.

When Bucky had finally finished his food, they left the cafe, Natasha headed across campus to meet "the gang" as she had sickeningly called them. Bucky trudged back to his bike, patting his gurgling stomach.

  
**STEVE**

The sun was shining strongly now, as if unafraid of the light clouds trying to obscure it's rays. Steve stretched out on the grass, his top riding up slightly, revealing pale gleaming skin to the hot, merciless sun. Yet Steve lacked the effort to pull it down. His eyes dropped closed. The faint sound of his friends laughing and chatting, the warmth, the heavy weight of his eyelids... Was interrupted very rudely by a heavy weight suddenly falling on to Steve's stomach.  
"Oof!" He yelled involuntarily and opened his eyes to see Nat giving him a shit-eating grin.  
"Hi," she purred.  
"You could have sat anywhere, anywhere at all!" He said, gesturing at the grass space all around, while trying and failing to shift her.  
"I know, and I chose my seat very carefully," she said laughing. Steve groaned, and just growing used to her weight on his stomach, thought that maybe he could still try and sleep. At least, he thought that until Tony yelled "Nat" and launched himself at the said weight.  
"Oof," Steve said again. He just hoped against hope that his large, Norwegian friend, Thor, would not join the bundle gathering on his abdomen.  
"You're late," Clint said, scowling at Nat.  
"I grabbed some food with Bucky after class."  
Steve had heard a lot about this "Bucky" from Natasha, and bits from Tony and Clint, who he presumed must have met him as well. No one really knew much about Natasha's past (except maybe Clint, who seemed to have a special 'bond' with Nat that both of them denied), but Steve knew that her friend Bucky was an important part of it. He didn't know how or when they met, but knew that it was a rough patch in both of their lives. Apparently, they had moved apart over the years, seeing each other less and less often, until they both started University in Brooklyn and were magically reunited. From what Steve had heard, Bucky sounded like an asshole, like the kind of guy that broke petty rules for the thrill of attention and fucked his way through half the college. Okay, so he had heard that last but through multiple sources. Steve would never say it, because he could see how much Bucky meant to Natasha (and what right did he have, with only one year of friendship with Nat, while Bucky had years and years, to question anything), but he thought Natasha could do much better without this Bucky that occupied so much of her time. Steve sighed, shaking his head. Normally he wasn't so judgemental about anyone, he was known for his kindness among his friends. Yet, despite never having met or seen him, there was something about this Bucky that rubbed Steve up the wrong way.

"You should drag him along," Bruce said, cutting through Steve's internal monologue.  
"I try, but he doesn't think he needs friends," Nat said, sounding somewhat tired. Yeah, Steve mentally confirmed, Bucky seemed like an asshole.  
"His loss," Tony said, smirking. Natasha swatted him playfully, but for Natasha, that was still quite rough. Steve laughed softly to himself as he heard Tony's wail of pain. Once more, he closed his eyes, hoping for the warm sun to send him to sleep.


End file.
